SPUFT students met with oceanologists within framework of the X International Festival Aquatica-24

The Festival programme included the National Scientific Conference called Water Resources – Natural Wealth of Planet Earth and a meeting with a trainer of deep-sea diving specialists, engineer, photographer and cameraman, Nikolay Shestakov, who gave a speech on the topic of Photography in Extreme Conditions.

The Festival Aquatica-24 has already become a traditional event in the St. Petersburg State University of Film and Television. Its main task is to promote and popularise careful attitude to water resources of Russia by the means of film, video, photo and literature.

Traditionally, the Festival was opened by Veniamin Sychev, Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor of the Oceanology Department of the Russian State Hydrometeorological University, representative of the Admiral I. de Traverse Memorial Association in the Russian Federation, and gave a speech on the topic of The World of the Oceans.

Master of sports in underwater sports, champion and multiple medallist of Russian championships, participant of world championships, member of the Russian national freediving team, Evgeny Sychev also gave a speech to students of SPUFT.

An oceanlogist Andrey Yazev in his report on the topic Exploring the Oceans touched upon the methods of studying water resources, including photography, and also gave a speech about the problems of underwater photography in low visibility conditions.

This year the annual guest of honour of the Festival became an aquanaut, ice researcher Nikolay Shestakov, one of the first Russian underwater film and photo operators, who visited 4 drifting stations: North Pole-18; North Pole-19; North Pole-22; North Pole-23. He told the students about the specifics of underwater filming in the conditions of northern water areas and about safety measures during extreme work conditions.

SPUFT students and teachers also shared their researches at the conference. Ten teachers of the Department of Photography and Folk Art Culture and seventeen students of the Faculty of Media Technologies presented their reports, and touched upon problems of the world water wealth and ways of preserving the natural diversity of water bodies.

The following students were awarded:

1. Diana Rasparina, (supervised by an associate professor Elena Zinenko);
2. Varvara Kapitsyna, (supervised by a senior lecturer of the Department of Photography and Folk Art Culture, Anton Zaikin);
3. Maria Dvornikova, Lilia Shumko, (supervised by Elena Dunaeva, lecturer of the Department of Photography and Folk Art Culture).

Winners among the teachers:

1. Elena Konstantinova, Head of the Department of Photography and Folk Art Culture;
2. Natalia Egorova, Associate Professor of the Department of Photography and Folk Art Culture;

3. Galina Lelikova, Associate Professor of the Department of Photography and Folk Art Culture..